Six Things To A Cycle
"Six Things To A Cycle" is a six-part suite by The Residents, originally featuring on their 1976 album Fingerprince. It was originally composed by the group with the intention of being performed live as a ballet, though this ultimately was never produced. Background "Man, represented by a primitive humanoid, is consumed by his self-created environment only to be replaced by a new creature, still primitive, still faulty, but destined to rule the world just as poorly" - A Resident "Six Things To A Cycle" is a followup of sorts to "Number One", ''an improvisational orchestra piece performed by The Residents around 1973. It takes inspiration from Indonesian gamelan music, the minimalist movement, and avant-garde composer Harry Partch. The piece was originally created for French dancer Maurice Bejart,'' who used music by The Residents for a dance piece performed on a barge moving down the canals of Venice. It was eventually recorded (in a shortened form) for their album Fingerprince, released in May 1976. Parts of the piece would be featured shortly after the release of the album in the group's Oh Mummy performance in June 1976. Ballet outline The curtain rises. Predawn blue spills across the sky silhouetting a jungle of thick vegetation. A fire burns in the foreground casting shadows upon a ring of strangely dressed and postured figures. The jungle breathes a primitive rhythm into the figures who become animated while watched by large birds who devour them as the sun rises. The birds form a line dancing from side to side as multi-colored geometric shapes fall from their mouths. The shapes grow until the jungle is pushed entirely off the stage and replaced by pulsating and occasionally flashing clouds of smoke. The shapes revolve around a central axis which grows higher against a smoke-filled backdrop. On top of the central shape is a figure heavily draped with layers of bright silk cloth each slowly being lifted by invisible threads attached to the four corners and pulled tight so that each cloth slowly becomes a square forming a backdrop for the dancer. As this happens other figures appear at the base of the shape and call to the mysterious image. As the figure is revealed in its true state, the geometric shapes open offering forth the dream of Utopia.''Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents'' Parts Fingerprince version Other versions * In 1992, the track featured as part of "Six Amber Things" on Our Finest Flowers. * In 2010, it was re-recorded as "Six Things To A Sickle". * In 2017, it featured as part of "Six Things To A Red Bicycle". Personnel * Percussion - D. Jackovich * Steel Drums - T. Logan * Violin - A. Dekbar * Vocals - Zeibak Appears on * ''Fingerprince'' (1977) * ''Please Do Not Steal It'' (1979) (Part 4 only) * ''Nibbles'' (1979) (Part 4 only) * ''Memorial Hits'' (1985) * ''Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents'' (1993) (excerpt) * ''In Memoriam Torso'' (1994) * ''Twenty-Five Years Of Eyeball Excellence'' (1998) External links and references * Fingerprinceat The Residents Historical * FingerprincepREServed edition at Discogs Category:Suites Category:B-sides‏‎ Category:Fingerprince